‘Crack’

The sound of thunder reverberated overhead as Thomas made his way home. Although he struggled to truly call it home anymore, four years of constant travelling and action had strained his entire concept of home.

It was a bleak night for his first night back in Britain, and walking alone through the narrow streets of Newcastle at 10 pm on a Wednesday made the whole experience more tiring; the constant rainfall didn’t help either.

It would be a long walk from the train station to his mother's house, and while he could get a taxi, he would rather deal with the reunion tomorrow instead, too much crying for such a long day. Seeing a flash in the distance, he decides to time the thunder.

‘crack’

After 10 seconds, the sound finally reaches him. He decides to take temporary shelter and go to the nearest bar. Noticing a red glow from one of the buildings up ahead, he walks briskly until he's stood before it, a small place aptly named ‘Slit’.

Upon entering the bar, he feels out of place with all the students here, but that feeling is familiar. Since returning to Britain, he felt out of place, like the difference between himself and the average person was too great. He didn't think of himself as better than anybody else but instead felt like there was nothing in common with anybody in this bar, even though they were similar in age.

Deciding to make his way to the bar, ignoring the occasional glance from other patrons. The glances didn’t bother him, after all, he was still in his work gear and standing at a height of 6 '4 it’s not unnatural for people to stare at him; the multiple tattoos and scars didn’t help either.

Making it to the bar, he orders water, content to stay sober while waiting for the rain to end. Quietly listening to the music and students' conversations nearby, he finds himself relaxing just a little, thinking that he might not be that different after all.

‘Crack’

As if on cue, another thunder strike rings out, this time louder than the previous ones, waking Thomas from his stupor. Staring into his reflection in the glasses behind the bar, he sees himself and the scar that covers his left eye, dying his face a permanent shade of red. Reminding him that he will never fit in with most people because if the physical scars don’t set him aside, the hidden ones will. This train of thought makes him feel isolated even in this busy bar. Noticing another person in the reflection, he takes a better look to see a lady dressed in red sitting beside him, looking directly at him. Turning to meet her eyes, he sees her black contacts and thinks he might have hooked the one crazy in the bar.

Her contacts matched her hair, both being black. Her lipstick matched the dress she was wearing, both being dark red, her skin was pale, and her sunken cheeks accentuated her cheekbones and jawline giving her striking features. The smile on her face set the alarm bells off in his mind; deciding that he’s had enough crazy for today, Thomas chose to finish his drink quickly.

“Hey, no need to be so scared. I don’t bite, hehe,” she giggles while hiding her mouth with her hand. The strange woman's actions do nothing to relax Thomas, but he’s not one to judge people based on appearances. Still drinking, albeit more slowly, he decides to hear her out.

“Come on now, I’m Lilith, and you are?” she asks, extending her arm for a handshake. Unsure of whether to take it, Thomas accepts the greeting and goes to shake her hand; feeling the cold sensation of her hand and noticing the tattoo of a red apple on the back of her hand, he quickly lets go.

“Thomas” with the greeting over he goes back to drinking quietly, feeling the unnerving stare from his side he knows that this won’t end anytime soon. “What can I do for you?”

“Hmm, I like your marking. What do they mean? '', She says while pointing to his arms, the only tattoos currently visible. On his left arm is the world tree Yggdrasil on the upper arm with the world tree's roots having names attached to them like a family tree, and at the centre is Rachael, his mother. On his right arm is an ouroboros symbol at the top, and underneath is a colourful dragon burning a field of roses.

“On the left is my family tree, and on the right is a dragon” Without further elaboration, Thomas goes back to drinking his water in silence. Seeing a flash of light up the bar briefly, he stands up.

‘Crack’

‘The thunder seems to be even closer now, not even 3 seconds between the thunder and lightning’, Thomas mused before heading for the door.

“Hey, where are you going? While the drawings are interesting, I’m more interested in what caused that”, Grabbing him by his hand, stopping him in his tracks, he follows her fingers to see where she was pointing to see it was aimed at his left collar bone. A place that was hit by shrapnel in an explosion, a place that still hurts to this day. Disturbed by her actions, he swats her hand away before leaving.

Standing in the pouring rain, he begins to regret coming back to this city. He never felt like it was home anyway, and the service would welcome him back with open arms. Being with his brothers and sisters had been the only time he felt at peace, and regardless of the circumstances, the unit would always be a family.

‘I just need to get home’, feeling the rain begin to let up. He looks to the dark sky to see the clouds have not fully cleared yet, and the swirling thunderclouds are closer than before. Feeling his collar begins to ache, he remembers something.

‘How did she know about my scar.’

While he wasn’t dressed for the rain, he still had a shirt covering his scar. Looking back into the bar to see that she isn’t there, he ignores it, focusing instead on heading home.

‘CRACK’